Attraction and Retention

How we harness our talent

We have been continuing to develop activities to attract talent from universities which, due to both the prestige of their teaching and their geographical scope, ensure nationwide coverage and disclosure, through events such as job fairs, workshops and open days, among other initiatives.

LinkedIn is a valuable tool for attracting talent and, in fact, having been recorded a substantial increase in the number of candidates recruited through this network and in the number of people following the Group’s page which, at the end of 2017, counted more than 110 thousand followers.

Other initiatives include:

The Management Trainee Programme: running for more than 30 years, it is the Group’s main programme to attract young talent, offering a career in Food Distribution and the opportunity to acquire skills and knowledge through a unique combination of real work experience and a personalised training programme. In 2017, 39 trainees were admitted.

In Colombia, SENA – Servicio Nacional de Aprendizaje (National Training Service), stipulated an allotment of traineeships to help foster skills development and employment opportunities for students. Ara has hired 343 trainees since 2012.

Social inclusion and employability projects established with a number of partners in three key areas: disability, extreme social vulnerability, and migrants and refugees. In 2017, we welcomed 70 people for practical training, some of which were then hired by Pingo Doce and Recheio.

The way we develop our talent

In order to ensure a sustainable growth rate, we invest in the continuous training of our people, regardless of their role or the country where they work.

In 2017, our investment in training increased by 17% compared to the previous year, corresponding to a total of 63,478 training initiatives.

Such as:

The Strategic Management Programme, held in partnership with the Universidade Católica Portuguesa and the Kellogg School of Management, is a programme for managers and it includes training in management, leadership and innovation.

In Portugal, the EFJM – Escola de Formação Jerónimo Martins (Jerónimo Martins Training School) ensures that all employees receive training, and that knowledge and best practices are transferred internally, most notably, among others, the General and Advanced Store Management programmes and the General and Advanced Section Management programmes at Pingo Doce and Recheio. Training programmes were also improved, aligning them with operational needs, particularly regarding Perishables.

In Poland, the Biedronka Management Academy continued its training programmes for store managers and assistant managers. The e-Learning platform “Biedronka Virtual School”, that enables access to training content in the workplace, included over 2,700 employees. Training remained focused on the strategic area of Perishables.

In Colombia, we developed the Retail Management Programme in partnership with CESA – Colegio de Estudios Superiores de Administración (School of Business Management), aimed at gaining more knowledge of the business and a greater awareness of the challenges that lie ahead for Ara.

Internal mobility is also an employee development strategy, which enables the sharing and transfer of new knowledge and/or processes between the input and output areas. In 2017, 43,776 employees changed roles, location or company within the Jerónimo Martins Group.

HOW WE REWARD OUR TALENT

The Group seeks to follow a competitive policy, aligned with the strategy defined in each country. Given our focus on high standards of performance, we aim at recognising and rewarding our employees for meeting their goals.

Thus, the variable wage component is key in compensation policies as it is an tool which ensures an alignment between the pay policy and the established culture of meritocracy. Annual bonuses paid to employees amounted to 107 million euros and 8,774 promotions.

Jerónimo Martins is a Portugal-based international Group operating in the Food Distribution and Specialised Retail sectors. Public Company. Registered at the Commercial Registry Office of Lisbon.
Share Capital: 629.293.220 €. VAT number PT nr. 500 100 144.